SPEECH 


OF 


HON.  JOHN  D.  BELLAMY, 


OF  NORTH    CAROLINA, 


HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES 


February  14,  1903, 


On  H.  R.  17356,  to  erect  an  Equestrian  Statue  at  Wilmington, 

N.  C,  to  the  Memory  of  Maj.  Gen.  Robert  Howe, 

of  the  American  Revolution. 


6587 


WASHINGTON. 
I9O3. 


SPEECH 


OF 


HON.  JOHN  D.  BELLAMY, 


OF   NORTH    CAROLINA, 


HOUSE  OF   REPRESENTATIVES 


February  14,  1903, 


On  H.  R.  17356,  to  erect  an  Equestrian  Statue  at  Wilmington, 

N.  C,  to  the  Memory  of  Maj.  Gen.  Robert  Howe, 

of  the  American  Revolution. 


5587 


WASHINGTON. 
I9O3. 


SPEECH 


OF 


HON.    JOHN    D     BELLAMY 


The  House  being  in  Committee  of  the  Whole  on  the  state  of  the  Union, 
and  having  under  consideration  the  bill  (H.  R.  16756)  granting  an  increase  of 
pension  to  John  Brown — 

Mr.  BELLAMY  said: 

Mr.  Speaker  and  gentlemen  of  the  House  of  Representatives: 
During  the  present  session  of  this  Congress  I  introduced  a  bill 
(H.  R.  17336)  for  the  erection  of  an  equestrian  statue  at  Wilming- 
ton, N.  C,  to  the  memory  of  Maj.  Gen.  Robert  Howe,  of  the  Amer- 
ican Revolution.  I  can  not  expect,  in  the  closing  hours  of  this 
session ,  when  the  congested  state  of  the  Calendar  will  preclude 
the  consideration  of  many  important  measures,  which  are  entitled 
to  precedence,  to  secure  the  adoption  of  this  resolution,  but  I  do 
hope  to  bring  to  the  attention  of  the  country  many  of  the  incidents 
of  the  life  and  character  of  this  remarkable  man,  in  the  hope  that 
the  next  Congress  will  be  possessed  of  sufficient  patriotism  to 
pass  it. 

Mr.  Speaker,  in  this  centennial  era,  when  we  are  commemorating 
the  important  events  which  have  made  this  Government  a  great 
and  powerful  nation  and  enabled  it  to  attain  a  century's  growth, 
we  should  not  alone  seek  to  celebrate  its  material  advancement, 
but  should  at  least  endeavor  to  perpetuate  in  some  enduring 
form  the  memories  of  the  great  men  whose  wisdom  and  valor 
contributed  so  powerfully  toward  making  the  American  Revolu- 
tion successful,  and  thereby  establishing  the  first  great  represent- 
ative government  that  has  ever  been  vouchsafed  to  mankind. 

Carlyle  has  truly  said  that  hero  worship  exists  forever  and 
everywhere;  not  loyalty  alone:  it  extends  from  divine  admira- 
tion to  the  lowest  practical  regions  of  life,  and  yet  hero  worship 
has  never  been  a  salient  feature  in  the  character  of  the  average 
American  citizen.  A  government  whose  basic  principles  are 
liberty  and  equality,  and  whose  powers  are  not  derived  by  divine 
inheritance  and  centered  in  a  single  individual,  but  emanate 
from  the  free  consent  of  the  people  governed,  has  in  it  dogmas 
which  tend  to  lessen  reverence,  yet  it  can  never  suppress  the 
natural  and  spontaneous  feeling  of  veneration  for  that  which  is 
truly  great,  for  the  true  hero,  be  he  philosopher,  poet,  priest, 
man  of  letters,  warrior,  or  ruler. 

There  has  always  existed  among  all  people  and  in  all  ages  a 
special  admiration  for  the  warrior  whose  deeds  of  daring  have 
worked  good  for  his  people,  and  the  American  people  form  no 
exception  to  this  universal  rule.  The  fame  of  Washington,  the 
general,  embalmed  forever  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen,  has 
been  f\  ther  perpetuated  in  statues  of  bronze  and  marble,  that 
future  generations  may  emulate  his  virtues  and  be  inspired  by 
his  patriotic  example.  But  few  indeed  of  the  great  generals  who 
aided  Washington  by  their  counsel,  who  shared  his  confidence, 
and  who  won  glory  and  renown  on  many  of  the  fields  of  battle 
2  5587 


which  secured  our  independence,  have  been  honored  by  their 
countrymen.  Major- Generals  Howe,  Baron  Steuben,  Lincoln, 
Schuyler,  and  others  performed  their  part  in  the  great  struggle 
equally  with  Washington,  and  achieved  renown  and  fame  ex- 
celled only  by  their  leader.  Some  of  them  were  leaders  in  the 
movement  originating  and  precipitating  the  Revolution,  and  all 
prominent  in  consummating  it  with  their  sword  and  their  talent. 
The  Government,  then  an  experiment,  has  become  a  Government 
respected  and  honored  as  the  equal  of  the  oldest  and  most  perma- 
nent and  stable  governments  of  the  world. 

It  is  but  just  and  proper  then  that  these  great  generals  should 
at  least  be  remembered  by  a  posterity  which  has  reaped  untold 
blessings  from  their  patriotic  efforts.  It  is  with  the  view  of  res- 
cuing from  the  oblivion  into  which  it  has  fallen  the  life  and 
services  of  one  who  possessed  more  eminently,  if  possible,  the  con- 
fidence of  General  Washington  than  any  of  his  compeers  that 
your  speaker  has  offered  this  resolution  to  have  Congress  erect  a 
monument  to  his  memory  in  the  city  of  Wilmington,  near  which 
he  was  born  and  lies  buried. 

Among  the  brilliant  men  of  the  Revolutionary  period  who  have 
not  been  accorded  the  praise  to  which  their  patriotic  services  en- 
title them  stands  Maj.  Gen.  Robert  Howe,  of  Brunswick.  N.  C. 
Of  his  early  history  little  is  preserved  save  that  which  is  handed 
down  by  tradition  in  the  vicinity  of  his  birth.  He  was  born 
in  the  precinct  of  Clarendon  in  the  year  1732  in  the  present  limits 
of  Brunswick  County.  N.  C.  He  was  the  son  of  Job  Howe, 
a  well-educated:  influential,  and  wealthy  rice  planter,  who  re- 
sided at  his  palatial  home  on  the  Cape  Fear  River  and  spent 
his  summers  on  the  coast  near  the  city  of  Wilmington.  Like 
the  Southern  gentlemen  of  that  day,  and  for  generations  after- 
wards, this  home  was  the  seat  of  hospitality  and  refinement,  and 
in  this  atmosphere  of  culture  Robert  Hdwe  was  partially  reared. 
His  grandfather  had  come  over  to  America  with  the  Yeamans 
colony  in  166o,  which  was  planted  first  on  Old  Town  Creek,  but 
afterwards  moved  to  Charleston.  S.  C.  His  father,  Job  Howe, 
came  to  the  Cape  Fear  region  from  Charleston  with  Col.  Maurice 
Moore,  his  kinsman,  who  assumed  charge  of  the  lands  of  Sir  John 
Yeaman  abandoned  in  1690. 

Robert  Howe  was  connected  by  blood  and  marriage  with  the 
best  families  in  North  and  South  Carolina.  He  was  the  lineal 
descendant  of  Sir  John  Yeamans.  and  was  the  grandson  of  Mary 
Moore,  the  daughter  of  James  Moore,  the  governor  of  the  two 
Carolinas  in  1670.  At  an  early  age,  as  was  the  custom  in  those 
days  among  gentlemen  of  wealth,  Robert  was  sent  by  his  father 
to  England ,  and  there  had  the  advantage  of  the  social  life  of  the 
best  London  circles,  and  received  the  benefits  of  a  solid  and  re- 
fined English  education.  He  spent  a  good  number  of  years  in 
Europe,  and  did  not  return  until  a  short  time  previous  to  his 
father's  death,  which  occurred  at  his  summer  home  on  the  coast 
in  the  year  1748.  It  appears  from  the  will  of  his  father,  recorded 
in  New  Hanover  County,  that  Robert  had  two  brothers  and  two 
sisters,  and  although  they  lived  in  that  vicinity,  on  fine  plantations 
devised  to  each,  yet  in  the  early  part  of  this  century  the  name  of 
Howe  became  entirely  extinct,  and  is  no  longer  found  except  oc- 
casionally among  a  few  old  family  servants,  negroes,  who  to-day 
alone  retain  the  name. 

In  1763  we  find  Robert  Howe  settled  on  his  rice  plantation  at 
the  mouth  of  Old  Town  Creek,  the  site  of  the  first  English  settle- 

,5587 


ment  under  Sir  John  Yeamans.  He  lived,  like  his  father,  in  afflu- 
ence, with  his  broad  acres  around  him.  his  slaves,  his  library 
well  stored  with  the  best  books  of  the  day,  which  was  always  an 
indispensable  requisite  to  the  well-furnished  home  of  the  south- 
ern country  gentleman.  At  that  day  the  English  Government 
had  a  well-fortified  post  at  the  mouth  of  the  Cape  Fear  River, 
known  then  and  ever  afterwards  as  Fort  Johnston.  Robert  had 
an  ambition  to  lead  a  military  life.  The  royal  Governor  Tryon 
had  partaken  of  his  hospitality  and  had  formed  an  attachment 
for  him.  A  vacancy  occurring  in  the  position  of  commandant  of 
the  fort,  he  was  appointed  to  it  by  the  governor.  In  a  letter 
dated  July  29.  1766.  at  Old  Brunswick,  addressed  to  the  Right 
Hon.  Lord  Burrington,  secretary  of  war,  Governor  Tryon  says: 

Capt.  John  Dalrymple.  commandant  of  Fort  Johnston,  in  this  province, 
died  the  13th  instant  in  said  fort.  As  the  above  command  was  from  His 
Majesty,  I  have  issued  a  new  one  to  Robert  Howe,  a  gentleman  of  this  prov- 
ince, to  succeed  him.    *    *    * 

This  is  the  first  act  of  a  public  nature  recorded  of  Robert  Howe, 
and  it  was  doubtless  this  appointment  and  the  exercise  of  its 
duties  that  gave  him  a  taste  for  the  military  life  he  was  afterwards 
to  lead.  He  held  the  position  for  a  few  years  and  was  succeeded 
by  John  Abraham  Collet.  It  was  about  this  time  that  Robert 
met,  wooed,  and  won  the  heart  and  hand  of  Sarah  Grange,  the 
daughter  of  Thomas  Grange,  a  respectable  planter  on  the  Upper 
Cape  Fear  River,  and  they  were  afterwards  married;  and  although 
they  lived  happily  together  for  a  number  of  years,  they  became, 
for  some  reason,  eventually  estranged  and  were  afterwards  peace- 
ably separated,  as  appears  from  a  deed  providing  for  her  support, 
recorded  in  the  year  1772.     They  were  never  reunited. 

In  January.  1772,  Robert  Howe  entered  political  life.  He  of- 
fered himself  as  a  candidate  from  Brunswick  County  for  the  gen- 
eral assembly  of  the  province,  which  was  to  meet  that  year  in 
November,  and  was  duly  elected  by  the  people.  Josiah  Martin 
was  then  governor  of  the  province,  having  about  two  years  pre- 
viously succeeded  Governor  Tryon.  Governor  Martin  was  not 
so  suave  as  Tryon.  and  was  not  generally  popular.  He  was  a 
man  of  a  firm  and  obstinate  disposition,  and  by  his  indomitable 
will  doubtless  widened  the  breech  and  precipitated  the  conflict 
which  was  soon  to  follow  between  the  people  and  the  Crown.  The 
royal  governors  in  colonial  times  were  invested  with  the  most 
absolute  and  arbitrary  powers.  They  had  entire  control  over 
nearly  all  appointments  to  office  and  almost  as  much  power  in  the 
regulation  of  the  elections  themselves,  and  had  also  the  right  to 
convene,  prorogue,  and  dissolve  the  assemblies  at  pleasure.  Soon 
after  the  assembly  met  and  organized  Robert  Howe  introduced  a 
resolution  to  regulate  the  elections  and  to  have  triennial  meet- 
ings of  the  legislature.  This  bill  was  aimed  at  the  curtailment 
of  the  governor's  prerogatives,  and  was  defeated  through  the  in- 
strumentality of  the  governor  and  his  council,  and  a  short  time 
afterwards  the  governor  dissolved  the  assembly.  But  by  the  res- 
olution itself  was  exhibited  a  bold  and  fearless  spirit  in  its  au- 
thor, which  characterized  him  through  life  and  was  a  faculty  so 
necessary  to  fit  him  for  the  important  part  he  was  soon  to  play 
in  the  history  of  that  momentous  period. 

A  like  spirit  of  opposition  to  the  encroachments  of  the  Crown 
and  its  officers  had  begun  to  prevail  in  the  other  colonies.  Josiah 
Quincy,  of  Massachusetts,  was  prominent  as  a  leader  in  the 
movement.     He  set  out  for  a  voyage  through  the  Southern  colo- 

5587 


nies  for  the  purpose  of  having  a  conference  with  the  Whig  lead- 
ers. While  on  this  expedition,  on  the  29th  of  March  1773 
Quincy  paid  a  visit  to  Cornelius  Harnett  at  Hilton,  in  the  old  man- 
sion formerly  standing  there.  Of  this  visit  tradition  informs  us 
with  some  details  It  is  said  that  Mr.  Quincy  had  no  previous 
acquaintance  with  Harnett.  On  arriving  at  Harnett's  residence 
he  asked  to  be  accommodated  with  a  night's  lodging,  which  was 
cordially  granted  him  by  his  hospitable  host.  After  supper,  think- 
ing Harnett  might  be  a  Tory,  and  it  would  be  unsafe  to  advert  to 
any  political  topic,  Quincy  specially  avoided  it,  but  in  the  course 
ot  the  conversation,  Harnett  ascertaining  in  some  way  the  cause 
ot  Quincy  s  appearance  in  the  South,  immediately  began  to  ex- 
press his  views  very  positively  and  boldly  concerning  the  tyran- 
nical and  oppressive  course  of  the  King  toward  his  colonies.  It 
is  said  that  Quincy  was  so  greatly  surprised  at  finding  Harnett 
so  much  in  accord  with  his  own  views  that  he  could  not  with- 
stand embracing  him  upon  discovering  such  a  kindred  spirit 

lhe  whole  night  was  spent  in  conversation,  and  the  next  morn- 
ing, upon  Harnett  saying  to  Quincy— which  Quincy  already 
knew—that  m  the  immediate  vicinity  was  a  bold,  intelligent  and 
determined  man  m  full  sympathy  with  their  own  view!,  Robert 
Howe,  he  was  sent  for  and  repaired  thither  without  delay:  and 
then  and  there,  at  Hilton,  on  the  Cape  Fear  River,  these  three 
men,  closeted  together  in  the  deepest  of  deliberation,  concocted 
and  agreed  upon  the  scheme  for  the  American  Revolution  While 
on  this  journey  Mr.  Quincy  kept  a  diary  of  the  events  of  the  day 
and  it  is  quite  interesting  to  note  the  estimate  of  Howe  by  this 
sagacious  and  discerning  patriot  and  of  the  incidents  of  this  visit 
In  Quincy  s  Memoirs  he  records: 

.rifhTM  S l77l -^SPent  *"»£  of  the  day  in  public  and  private  conversation 
with  Col.  Robert  Howe,  a  leader  and  active  member  of  the  general  m£h5m? 
Fine  natural  parts,  great  feeling,  pure  and  elegant  dictio.fwih  mmW 
^w.T5eI<^U6n<?e'  *,  Crow*  officer  with  a  lucrative  post  a  stau  nch  W i l  and 
colonist.  I  received  much  information  in  provincial  politics  and  great ill™, 
™  Jnm  ^-S  reia*lon"  Zealous  in  the  cause  of  America  h refiVd I  the  nm 
^eCnDr^Soai^SyeSPOndenCe'  PTOmised  *°  *™ote  &2R£ft?5 

SSSSgSSjysS7  relished'  much  wished  for'  -^SS&SfSS?^ 

Well  might  Hilton  be  termed  the  birthplace  and  cradle  of 
American  liberty,  as  it  was  so  fitly  termed  by  Vice-President 
Henry  Wilson  ma  speech  from  the  portico  of  this  buildup  de- 
livered m  1872.  On  departing  from  the  Cape  Fear  reg  on  Quincy 
bade  his  friend  Howe  adieu,  each  hoping  to  meet  again  and 
pledging  each  other  to  urge  on  the  cause  of  independence  Cap 
tarn  Howe  giving  to  Mr  Quincy  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Gov- 
ernor Tryon,  who  had  then  become  governor  of  New  York 

The  legislature  of  1772  was  dissolved  by  Governor  Martin  in 
the  early  spring,  as  he  desired  to  have  members  elected  who 
would  support  his  administration.  But.  notwithstanding  the  op- 
position romented  by  the  governor  against  him,  Robert  Howe 
was  again  returned  to  the  assembly,  which  met  the  same  year  at 
Newbern  on  December  4.  At  this  session  the  speaker  of  the 
house  of  commons  laid  before  that  body  letters 'from  several 
provinces  requesting  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  inquire 
5587 


6 

into  the  encroachments  of  England  upon  the  liberties  of  the 
American  people.     The  house  passed  a  resolution — 

That  such  example  was  worthy  of  imitation,  by  which  means  communi- 
cation and  concert  would  be  established  among  the  colonies,  and  that  they 
will  at  all  times  be  ready  to  exert  their  efforts  to  preserve  and  defend  their 
rights. 

The  committee  was  appointed,  and  after  the  Speaker's  name,  as 
chairman,  stands  next  in  order  the  names  of  Robert  Howe  and 
Cornelius  Harnett.  It  was  chiefly  through  the  influence  and  ex- 
ertion of  these  two  men  that  this  committee  was  chosen,  and  thus 
was  recorded  the  first  act  of  a  legislative  character  that  led  to 
the  revolution. 

During  this  session  the  House  had  passed  an  act  prohil  titing 
the  sheriffs  from  collecting  that  portion  of  the  poll  tax  devoted 
to  the  payment  of  the  public  debt.  The  governor  commanded 
the  sheriffs  to  enforce  the  collection,  and  a  direct  clash  arose  be- 
tween the  legislative  and  executive  branches  of  the  Government. 
The  judicial  branch  was  silent,  as  the  courts  were  closed.  The 
governor  forbade  the  further  meeting  of  the  assembly.  Where- 
upon among  the  Whig  leaders  it  was  decided  to  call  a  general 
congress  to  meet  at  Newbern  August  20.  1774. 

The  governor  called  upon  the  council  to  concert  measures  to 
prevent  the  election  of  members  as  delegates  to  this  meeting  of 
the  congress,  but  the  people  were  thoroughly  excited,  ami  in 
spite  of  the  governor's  strenuous  efforts  to  the  contrary  the  <•■  in- 
gress assembled  at  Newbern  on  the  25th  of  August,  pursuant  to 
the  call.  Among  the  delegates  sent  was  Robert  Howe,  of  Bruns- 
wick County,  and  his  learning  and  eloquence  were  felt  in  this 
body.  Among  the  many  important  resolutions  passed  were  those 
claiming  the  right  of  a  citizen  to  trial  by  a  jury  of  his  vicinage, 
and  denounced  the  sending  of  Americans  to  England  for  tried  in 
criminal  cases,  and  that  no  subject  should  be  taxed  without  rep- 
resentation. They  approved  of  the  conduct  of  the  people  of 
Massachusetts,  and  resolved  not  to  import  tea  or  any  British 
manufacture,  or  export  their  own  products  to  Great  Britain  un- 
less their  grievances  were  redressed.  On  the  11th  of  February, 
1775,  Colonel  Harvey  called  another  congress  to  meet  at  New- 
bern on  the  3d  of  April.  As  a  delegate  to  this  congress  and  also 
to  the  general  assembly,  which  was  to  meet  at  the  same  time, 
Robert  Howe  was  again  elected  from  Brunswick  County. 

Governor  Martin  issued  his  proclamation  against  the  assem- 
bling of  this  congress,  and  finding  his  voice  unheeded,  on  the 
morning  of  the  meeting  of  the  assembly  he  issued  another  proc- 
lamation commanding  them  to  desist  from  the  proposed  conven- 
tion. But  men  determined  on  the  attainment  of  the  liberty  for 
which  they  were  striving  would  brook  no  opposition,  and  the  con- 
vention was  held  in  the  very  face  of  the  governor.  Governor 
Martin  still  persevered  in  his  course.  On  the  meeting  of  the 
assembly  he  went  before  that  body  and  addressed  them  at  length. 
He  tcid  them  that  he  looked  with  horror  on  the  proceedings  of 
some  of  the  colonies:  that  the  meetings  and  committees  had  in- 
jured the  rights  of  the  Crown  and  insulted  its  officers:  that  they 
were  in  duty  bound  to  prevent  the  meeting  of  the  congress;  that 
it  should  be  the  care  of  the  assembly  to  lead  back  the  people  to 
their  allegiance:  that  Parliament  was  at  that  very  time  deliber- 
ating for  the  good  of  America,  and  they  should  await  the  result. 

The  assembly  did  not  like  the  tone  of  the  governor's  address 
and  immediately  proceeded  to  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to 

5587 


reply  to  it.  Robert  Howe,  for  his  peculiar  fitness,  was  selected 
as  its  chairman.  On  the  7th  of  April  Robert  Howe  wrote  and  re- 
ported an  address  which,  as  a  justification  for  the  action  of  his 
people,  as  well  as  a  refutation  of  the  charges  of  the  governor, 
stamps  him  as  a  clear,  forcible,  and  logical  writer,  than  whom  the 
colonies  had  no  superior.     Captain  Howe  said: 

That  they  contemplated  with  horror  the  condition  of  America,  involved  in 
difficulties  and  distressed  by  invasions  of  ancient  rights  and  immunities.  In 
this  way  the  colonies  had  been  driven  to  measures  which,  however  extraor- 
dinary, were  still  warranted  by  necessity.  The  appointment  of  committees 
in  counties  and  towns  had  been  adopted  to  resist  unconstitutional  encroach- 
ments, and  the  assembly  was  convinced  that  no  step  had  been  taken  in  that 
direction  which  was  not  salutary  and  proper.  It  was  not  to  be  controverted 
that  all  British  subjects  had  the  right  of  assembling  and  petitioning  for  a  re- 
dress of  grievances,  and  any  attempt  to  deny  or  abridge  this  privilege  was  in 
direct  conflict  with  the  constitution.  It  was  the  least  of  their  desires  to  pre- 
vent the  objects  and  session  of  the  provincial  congress,  then  in  session,  or  to 
join  his  excellency  in  his  injurious  epithets  in  its  disparagement. 

They  further  stated: 

That  they  would  gladly  aid  in  the  establishment  of  a  proper  court  system, 
but  declined  any  provisions  for  Fort  Johnston. 

This  reply  was  so  very  distasteful  to  the  governor  that  the 
next  day  he  dissolved  the  assembly,  and  this  was  the  last  held 
under  royal  auspices  in  North  Carolina. 

Captain  Howe  returned  to  his  home,  and  as  the  clouds  of  war 
were  gathering  thick  and  lowering  over  his  country  he  immedi- 
ately began  to  prepare  for  action.  Having  no  trained  soldiers 
he  employed  himself  drilling  the  people  and  training  them  to 
arms.  While  thus  engaged  the  governor  issued  a  violent  procla- 
mation at  Fort  Johnston  on  the  16th  June,  1775,  against  the 
people  of  the  colony.  A  meeting  of  the  district  committee  of 
safety  was  held  at  the  court-house  in  Wilmington  on  the  20th 
June,  with  delegates  present  from  Brunswick.  Bladen,  Onslow, 
Duplin,  and  New  Hanover  counties.  Robert  Howe  appeared  as 
a  member  from  Brunswick. 

Immediately  a  committee  was  appointed,  with  Robert  Howe  as 
chairman,  to  answer  the  proclamation  which  was  ordered  to  be 
published.  Captain  Howe  prepared  the  address,  which,  like  his 
former  addresses,  was  a  masterly  production.  He  said  among 
other  things: 

In  order  to  prevent  the  pernicious  influence  of  the  said  proclamation,  we 
do  unanimously  resolve,  that  in  our  opinion  his  excellency  Josiah  Martin, 
esq.,  hath  by  the  said  proclamation,  and  by  the  whole  tenor  of  his  conduct 
since  these  unhappy  disputes  between  Great  Britain  and  the  colonies,  dis- 
covered himself  to  be  any  enemy  to  the  happiness  of  this  colony  in  particular, 
and  to  the  freedom,  rights,  and  privileges  of  America  in  general.  And  in  re- 
ply to  Lord  North's  resolution,  introduced  into  Parliament,  concerning 
America,  which  his  excellency  alluded  to,  "  Resolved,  That  this  was  a  low, 
base,  flagitious,  and  wicked  attempt  to  entrap  America  into  slavery,  and 
which  they  ought  to  reject  with  contempt  which  it  deserves." 

News  of  the  battle  of  Lexington  and  Bunker  Hill  had  now 
reached  the  Cape  Fear,  and  the'people  began  to  prepare  with  in- 
creased exertions  for  the  emergency.  It  became  apparent  that  as 
Fort  Johnston  was  the  key  to  the  entire  Cape  Fear  country  it  must 
be  held  by  the  colonies,  and  on  the  18th  of  May,  after  due  prepa- 
ration, Col.  John  Ashe,  in  command  of  a  body  of  troops,  among 
whom  was  Captain  Howe,  attacked,  set  fire  to,  and  partially 
burned  Fort  Johnston,  right  under  the  English  fleet  then  in  the 
harbor. 

About  this  time.  also,  another  meeting  of  congress  was  called 
for  August  21,  1775,  at  Hillsboro  Thither  Robert  Howe  again 
went  as  the  chosen  delegate  from  Brunswick  County.     The  meet- 

5587 


8 

ing  of  this  congress  was  alike  denounced  by  Governor  Martin 
from  his  place  of  refuge  on  a  British  man-of-war.  But  the  con- 
gress, to  his  denunciation,  voted  to  bear  their  part  of  the  expense 
of  a  Continental  army,  and  organized  one  of  their  own  by  provid- 
ing for  the  immediate  formation  of  two  regiments  of  500  men 
each,  and  appointed  James  Moore  as  colonel  of  the  first  and  Robert 
Howe  as  colonel  of  the  second  regiment.  By  this  same  congress, 
on  September  8.  Colonel  Howe  was  also  appointed  one  of  a  com- 
mittee, with  William  Hooper  as  chairman,  to  prepare  an  address 
to  the  people  of  the  British  Empire,  declaring  the  views  of  the 
body  as  to  the  existing  state  of  affairs.  This  was  the  last  act  of  a 
civil  nature  in  which  Colonel  Howe  was  engaged  until  the  close 
of  that  great  struggle  which  was  to  terminate  in  the  establish- 
ment of  the  greatest  constitutional  republic  the  world  has  ever 
seen. 

Colonel  Howe,  as  we  have  seen,  was  prominent  in  every  step 
which  led  to  the  Revolution.  He  was  ever  ready,  with  his  broad 
and  liberal  views,  to  advance  the  cause  of  his  country.  He  had 
with  his  pen,  by  his  persuasive  eloquence  on  the  hustings,  and  his 
debates  in  the  legislative  halls,  as  well  as  his  votes,  shown  him- 
self a  true  statesman,  born  as  it  were  for  the  occasion.  But  it  is 
not  for  us  to  regard  him  alone  as  a  statesman,  for  he  was  great 
as  a  soldier.  No  sooner  had  the  Hillsboro  congress  adjourned 
than  Colonel  Howe  began  to  form  his  regiment  and  continued 
training  his  soldiers.  In  this  he  was  engaged  when  he  was  in- 
formed of  the  efforts  of  Lord  Dunmore  to  raise  an  army  at  Nor- 
folk, and  of  his  emissaries  to  incite  an  insurrection  among  the 
slaves  in  the  Albemarle  region  of  North  Carolina.  He  imme- 
diately, in  December.  1775.  proceeded  with  his  regiment  to  Nor- 
fork  to  engage  the  British  and  to  rescue  his  people  from  the 
threatened  insurrection.  He  arrived  at  Norfolk  on  the  11th  of  De- 
cember, two  days  after  the  skirmish  between  Lord  Dunmore  and 
the  Virginia  troops  at  Great  Bridge,  but  found  that  Lord  Dun- 
more had  only  withdrawn  to  Norfolk  and  was  then  in  possession 
of  the  town.  Colonel  Howe,  being  the  officer  of  highest  rank,  as- 
sumed command  of  the  American  troops,  and,  an  engagement 
ensuing,  drove  Lord  Dunmore  and  his  entire  force  from  the 
country,  and  on  the  14th  of  December  took  possession  of  the  city. 

Lord  Dunmore  on  retreating  betook  himself  to  the  British 
fleet,  and  on  January  I,  1776,  attempted  to  recapture  the  city. 
He  opened  a  severe  bombardment  on  the  town  from  the  fleet,  and 
with  such  terrible  results  that  nine-tenths  of  all  the  houses  were 
reduced  to  ashes,  and  the  fire  raged  for  several  weeks.  But 
Colonel  Howe  successfully  repelled  the  assault,  and  Lord  Dun- 
more retired  from  the  country. 

At  this  point  Colonel  Howe  remained  until  after  the  1st  of 
March,  when,  for  his  gallantry  and  good  conduct,  he  was  pro- 
moted by  the  Continental  Congress  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-gen- 
eral in  the  Continental  Army  and  ordered  to  the  Southern  Depart- 
ment, under  Maj.  Gen.  Charles  Lee. 

On  May  4,  1776,  the  State  congress,  through  its  president,  ad- 
dressed General  Howe,  and  returned  to  him  a  vote  of  thanks  "for 
his  manly,  generous,  and  war-like  conduct  in  these  unhappy  times, 
and  more  especially  for  the  reputation  our  troops,  acquired  under 
his  command. ' '  General  Howe  thus  endeared  himself  to  his  own 
countrymen,  but  had  become  exceedingly  obnoxious  to  the  Brit- 
ish. 

5587 


9 

So  great  was  this  aversion  that  on  the  5th  day  of  May,  1776,  Sir 
Henry  Clinton,  then  in  command,  issued  a  proclamation  against 
committees  and  congresses,  and  invited  the  people  to  return  to 
the  royal  standard,  and  offered  and  promised  pardon  to  all  the 
people  of  North  Carolina  who  would  submit,  "except  Robert 
Howe  and  Cornelius  Harnett."  On  the  12th  of  the  same  month 
Cornwallis,  sent  by  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  with  900  men  ravaged  and 
burned  General  Howe's  plantation  at  Old  Town  Creek  and  took 
away  a  few  bullocks  and  a  number  of  slaves.  Maj.  Gen.  Charles 
Lee  was  now  on  his  way  to  take  charge  of  the  military  affairs  in  the 
South.  While  in  North  Carolina  he  was  joined  by  General  Howe 
and  the  two  North  Carolina  regiments  under  Col.  James  Moore 
and  Alex.  Martin,  the  latter  appointed  to  siicceed  General  Howe, 
promoted. 

These  two  regiments  arrived  at  Charleston  on  June  11,  1776, 
and  these,  under  the  command  of  General  Howe,  participated  in 
the  brilliant  victories  of  Forts  Sullivan  and  Moultrie,  which  oc- 
curred on  the  28th  of  June.  At  this  battle  the  Americans  had 
only  one-tenth  as  many  guns  as  were  brought  to  bear  on  them, 
and  yet  they  won  the  day.  Of  the  soldiers  General  Lee  said: 
"No  men  ever  behaved  better  Or  ever'  could  behave  better." 
Here  the  North  Carolina  troops  fought  with  conspicuous  bravery 
and  added  new  laurels  to  their  own  fame  and  that  of  their  com- 
mander. 

General  Lee,  in  a  report  of  the  battle  made  to  Edmond  Pendle- 
ton, of  the  Virginia  convention,  said: 

I  know  not  which  troops  I  have  the  greatest  reason  to  be  pleased  with, 
Muhlenberg's  Virginians,  or  the  North  Carolina  troops.  They  are  both 
equally  alert,  zealous,  and  spirited. 

During  the  month  of  July,  General  Lee,  with  General  Howe 
and  Colonel  Moultrie,  left  Charleston  for  an  expedition  against 
Florida,  but  when  they  arrived  at  Savannah  General  Lee  was  re- 
called by  General  Washington,  and  in  October  following  Howe 
was  placed  in  command  of  the  southern  department,  with  head-  * 
quarters  at  Charleston.  In  retaliation  for  incursions  from  Flor- 
ida, General  Howe,  at  the  head  of  2.000  Americans,  militia  from 
North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  and  Georgia,  attempted  the 
capture  of  St.  Augustine.  He  met  with  little  opposition  before 
he  reached  the  St.  Marys  River,  where  the  British  had  erected  a 
fort  called  Tonyn.  in  compliment  to  the  governor  of  the  province. 
On  the  approach  of  Howe  they  destroyed  the  fort  and,  after  some 
slight  skirmishing,  retreated  toward  St.  Augustine.  But  the 
Americans  were  driven  back  from  Florida  by  a  plague  of  fever 
which  swept  away  nearly  one-fourth  of  their  number  and  ren- 
dered their  retreat  absolutely  necessary. 

It  was  while  at  Charleston  that  occurred  the  dispute  between 
Colonel  Gadsden  and  General  Howe,  which  led  to  the  duel  be- 
tween them  on  the  20th  of  August.  1778.  The  dispute  arose  out 
of  a  conflict  of  authority  between  the  States  and  the  Continental 
Congress — a  question  of  conflict  of  authority  which  agitated  and 
seriously  affected  the  Confederacy  in  the  late  civil  war.  and  which 
was  never  clearly  and  permanently  settled  in  the  United  States 
between  the  States  and  the  General  Government  until  the 
adoption  of  the  Constitution.  As  the  duel  was  an  episode  in 
his  life  of  so  remarkable  a  character  and  our  historians  have  been 
so  inaccurate  in  their  references  to  it.  I  deem  it  of  so  much  in- 
terest as  to  here  give  a  detailed  statement  of  it,  taken  from  an 
5587 


10 

account  of  the  dtifl  :r  i        'urolinian  and  American  Gazette, 

dated  September  •  or  fi  ur  days  after  its  occurrence. 

"On  the  29th  October,  1776,  General  Howe  published  in  his  orders  the  pro- 
motion of  Colonels  Gadsden  ai  d  Moultrie,  and  assigned  them  to  their  respec- 
tive commands. 

On  the  83d  of  August,  1777,  General  Gadsden  resigned  his  command  into 
the  hands  of  General  Howe.  General  Howe  sent  the  resignatii  >n  to  Congress 
with  a  letter  explaining  it,  and  Congress,  accepting  it  without  comment, 
wounded  Colonel  Gadsden's  feelings.  "To  this  letter  Colonel  Gadsden  replied 
in  an  open  letter  to  Congress.  This  letter  was  the  cause  of  the  duel.  Gen- 
eral Howe  says  that  about  four  months  before  the  date  of  his  letter,  that  is. 
about  the  1st  of  May.  after  he  had  been  about  six  months  in  undisputed  com- 
mand of  the  post,  General  Gadsden  desired  to  know  by  what  rignt  he  com- 
manded, and  claimed  that  he  himself  was  the  natural  commander  in  South 

Carolina.    General  Howe  explained  to  him  his  right,  and  showed  tl rror 

into  which  General  Gadsden  had  fallen  respecting  claims  of  right.  General 
Howe  replied  "  that  as  he  had  no  doubt  respecting  his  own  right  he  would 
express  none,  but  if  the  other  desired  it  he  would  communicate  those  doubts 
to  Congress  as  his,"  and  this  was  assented  to. 

At  a  a  subsequent  interview  a  few  days  afterwards  General  Howe  was  led 
to  believe  that  General  Gadsden  was  now  satisfied  as  to  bis  right,  and  the 
letter  was  not  written.  One  day  in  August  they  met  at  the  house  of  Presi- 
dent Lowndes,  and  General  Gadsden  inquired  whether  the  letter  had  been 
written  as  agreed,  and  on  General  Howe  replying  in  the  negative,  and  giving 
his  reasons  for  not  having  done  so.  General  Gadsden  said  the  matter  should 
be  brought  before  the  South  Carolina  assembly.  Shortly  afterwards  a  mo- 
tion was  made  by  William  Henry  Drayton  inquiring  into  the  nature  of  Gen-- 
eral  Howe's  command  in  that  State.  This  motion  was  promptly  rejected, 
and  General  Gadsden  immediately  resigned  his  commission  into  General 
Howe's  hands.    General  Gadsden  gave  an  explanation  of  the  matter  and  says: 

'•On  the  Uth  of  August  I  received  by  the  General's  aid-de-camp  a  long 
expostulatory  letter,  with  a  demand  for  satisfaction  at  the  close  unless  I 
made  him  reparation  for  the  expressions  I  had  made  use  of  relative  to  him 
in  my  letter  of  the  4th  of  July.  1  wrote  for  an  answer  next  morning  that  I 
was  ready  to  give  him  any 'satisfaction  he  thought  proper,  when  and  where 
he  pleased;  that  I  thought  him  the  aggressor  in  having  wrote  such  an  unnec- 
essary detail  of  that  matter  in  it,  omitting  my  principal  objection,  and  espe- 
cially for  not  letting  me,  whom  it  so  nearly  concerned,  have  a  a  rpy  of  it;  and 
that  he  had  nobody  to  blame  but  himself:  that  1  never  saw  his  detail,  which 
had  such  immediate  effect,  for  ten  months  after  the  date  of  it. 

"  Three  letters  from  him  and  two  from  me  passed  before  the  matter  came 
to  a  point.  In  his  he  gave  me  assurance  that  he  did  not  mean  in  anything  he 
said  to  reflect  upon  or  injure  me,  and  as  to  the  breach  of  promise  I  accused 
him  of  he  declared  he  really  understood  me  as  he  had  set  forth:  so  that  if 
there  was  a  fault,  his  understanding  and  not  his  integrity  was  to  blame;  and 
had  he  imagined  I  wished  to  see  his  letter  he  should  most  cheerfully  have 
sent  it  to  me;  that  he  had  not  the  least  wish  to  conceal  it  from  me.  My  friends. 
Colonels  Elliott  and  Horry,  who  were  the  only  ones  who  had  the  least  hint  of 
the  affair  from  me,  seemed  to  think  this  a  great  occasion,  and  required  some 
notice  or  apology  on  my  side,  and  our  friend.  Colonel  Pinckney,  who  was  the 
General's  second,  appeared  to  be  of  the  same  opinion.  But  I,  looking  upon 
it  only  as  personal  and  private  to  me,  and  whereas  the  expressions  of  me  he 
particularly  referred  to  related  to  the  manner  of  a  public  act,  I  determined 
to  make  no  concessions,  but  to  meet  him  in  any  manner  he  pleased." 

Accordingly  on  the  3tith  of  1  igust  the  hostile  meeting  took  place,  and  the 
following  account  given  of  it:  After  the  generals  met  and  courteously  sa- 
luted each  other.  General  Howe  desired  his  second  to  acquaint  his  friends,  in 
case  he  should  fall,  that  it  was  his  earnest  request  that  theyshouid  not  pros- 
ecute General  Gadsden  beyond  the  formality  of  a  trial,  and  General  Gadsden 
desired  both  the  seconds  to  acquaint  his  friend  in  case  he  should  fall,  that  he 
entirely  forgave  General  Howe  and  earnestly  begged  them  not  to  prosecute 
him,  and  he  particularly  enjoined  Colonel  Pinckney  to  charge  his  son  not  to 
intermeddle  in  the  affair  at  all.  General  Howe's  second  then  stepped  off  the 
distance  then  fixed  upon  by  him  and  Colonel  Elliott— 18  short  paces— and  the 
generals  being  placed,  Colonel  Elliott  said: 

il  Gentlemen,  we  have  marked  out  your  distance,  leaving  you  to  act  as  you 
please,  not  doubting  but  that,  as  this  is  an  affair  of  honor,  you  will  act  conse- 
quently with  the  strictest  rules  of  honor.'  General  Howe  then  said  to  Gen- 
eral Gadsden,  'Fire,  sir.'  General  Gadsden  said.  lDo  you  fire  first?'  General 
Howe  replied,  'We  will  both  fire  together.'  General  Gadsden  made  no  an- 
swer, but  both  presented.  There  was  a  pause  for  a  few  seconds,  and  General 
Howe  said  with  a  smile,  'Why  will  not  you  fire.  General  Gadsden:-'  Gen- 
eral Gadsden  replied,  'You  brought  me  out.  General  Howe,  to  this  bal1  plav 
and  ousrht  to  begin  the  entertainment.'  General  Howe  fired  and  missed. 
5587 


11 

General  Gadsden  after  a  short  interval  fired  his  pistol  over  his  left  arm, 
about  at  right  angles  from  General  Howe,  and  then  called  out  to  General 
Howe  to  fire  again.  General  Howe  smiled,  and  at  the  same  time  dropping 
his  hands  with  his  pistol  in  it  said,  '  No,  General  Gadsden,  I  can  not  after 
this." 

General  Gadsden's  second  said  he  was  glad  to  see  so  much  honor  in  the 
generals;  that  he  did  not  think  General  Gadsden  could  have  made  a  hand- 
somer apology  or  General  Howe  have  shown  a  higher  sense  of  honor  than  in 
acting  as  he  had  done.  Then  General  Gadsden  went  up  to  him  and  said, 
"Now,  General  Howe,  I  will  mention  to  you  what  I  could  not  before,  as  my 
letter  was  a  public  one,  and  the  words  contained  in  it  seemed  to  me  proper, 
and  as  yours  was  a  private  one,  the  parts  in  it  which,  in  the  opinion  of  my 
friends,  left  an  opening  for  an  apology  I  could  not  take  notice  of;  but  I  told 
my  friends  in  the  carriage  before  I  came  on  the  ground  that  I  intended  to 
receive  your  fire,  and  though  I  may,  perhaps,  talk  this  matter  over  again.  I 
assiire  you  I  shall  never  in  future  make  use  of  any  harsh  expressions  con- 
cerning you."  General  Howe  said  that  it  was  very  agreeable  to  him  that  the 
matter  terminated  in  this  way,  and  that  he  was  happy  that  he  had  missed 
him.  General  Gadsden's  second  said  he  hoped  that  the  difference  that  had 
caused  this  duel  might  now  subside  and  be  left  on  that  spot.  The  generals, 
then,  in  token  of  this  reconciliation  shook  hands  and  parted. 

We  rarely  see  such  chivalry  displayed  in  the  duel ;  and  although 
it  is  intended  for  the  healing  of*  wounded  honor  among  gentlemen, 
yet  as  a  practice  to  he  condemned,  if  it  must  be  resorted  to,  no 
finer  example  could  be  given  of  what  ought  to  be  observed  as  the 
rules  of  the  code.  General  Gadsden  was  wrong  in  this  matter, 
but,  as  it  is  said,  "he  was  gloriously  wrong,"  and  General  Howe 
was  completely  vindicated. 

The  unfortunate  but  gifted  Major  Andre,  of  the  British  army, 
who  was  afterwards  executed  as  a  spy,  wrote  a  humorous  account 
of  this  duel  in  18  stanzas,  set  to  the  tune  of  Yankee  Doodle,  which 
was  published  as  one  of  the  humors  of  that  day.     It  is  thus  given: 

ON  THE  AFFAIR  BETWEEN  THE  REBEL  GENERALS  HOWE  AND  GADSDEN. 

Charleston,  S.  C,  September  1,  1778. 
"We  are  favored  with  the  following  authentic  accountof  the  affair  of  honor 
which  happened  on  the  13th  of  August,  1778.    Eleven  o'clock  was  the  hour  ap- 
pointed for  Generals  H.  and  G.  to  meet.    Accordingly,  about  ten  minutes 
before.  11 — but  hold!    It  is  too  good  a  story  to  be  told  in  simple  prose. 

It  was  on  Mr.  Percy's  land. 

At  Squire  Rugeley's  corner, 
Great  H.  and  G.  met,  sword  in  hand, 

Upon  a  point  of  honor. 

Chorus:  Yankee  doodle,  doodle  doo,  etc. 

G.  went  before  with  Colonel  E., 

Together  in  a  carriage; 
On  horseback  followed  H.  and  P. 

As  if  to  steal  a  marriage. 

On  chosen  ground  they  now  alight, 

For  battle  duly  harnessed; 
A  shady  place,  and  out  of  sight. 

It  shew'd  they  were  in  earnest. 

They  met,  and  in  the  usual  way 

With  hat  in  hand  saluted; 
Which  was,  no  doubt,  to  shew  how  they 

Like  gentlemen  disputed. 

And  then  they  both  together  made 

This  honest  declaration. 
That  they  came  there,  by  honor  led, 

And  not  by  inclination. 

That  if  they  fought,  'twas  not  because 

Of  rancour,  spite,  or  passion; 
But  only  to  obey  the  laws 

Of  custom  and  the  fashion. 

The  pistols,  then,  before  their  eyes 

Were  fairly  primed  and  loaded; 
H.  wished,  and  so  did  G.  likewise, 

The  customs  were  exploded. 
5587 


12 

But  as  they  now  had  gone  so  far 

In  such  a  bloody  business, 
For  action  straight  they  both  prepare 

With  mutual  forgiveness. 

But  lest  their  courage  should  exceed 

The  bounds  of  moderation, 
Between  the  seconds  'twas  agreed 

To  fix  them  each  a  station. 

The  distance  stepp'd  by  Colonel  P. 
Was  only  eight  short  spaces; 
"Now,  gentlemen,"  says  Colonel  E., 
"  Be  sure  to  keep  your  places." 

Quoth  H.  to  G.,  "  Sir,  please  to  fire;" 

Quoth  G.,  "No,  pray  begin,  sir;  " 
And  truly  we  must  needs  admire 

The  temper  they  were  in,  sir. 

"We'll  fire  both  at  once,"  said  EL; 
And  so  they  both  presented; 
No  answer  was  returned  by  G., 
But  silence,  sir,  consented. 

They  patised  awhile,  these  gallant  foes, 

By  turns  politely  grinning: 

'Till,  after  many  cons  and  pros, 

H.  made  a  brisk  beginning. 

H.  missed  his  mark,  but  not  his  aim; 

The  shot  was  well  directed. 
It  saved  them  both  from  hurt  and  shame; 

What  more  could  be  expected? 

Then  G.,  to  show  he  meant  no  harm, 

But  hated  jars  and  jangles, 
His  pistol  fired  across  his  arm 

From  H.,  almost  at  angles. 

H.  now  was  called  upon  by  G. 

To  fire  another  shot,  sir; 
He  smiled  and,  "After  that,"  quoth  he, 
"No,  truly  I  can  not,  sir." 

Such  honor  did  they  both  display 

They  highly  were  commended; 
And  thus,  in  short,  this  gallant  fray 

Without  mischance  was  ended. 

No  fresh  dispute,  we  may  suppose, 

Will  e'er  by  them  be  started; 
And  now  the  chiefs,  no  longer  foes, 

Shook  hands,  and  so  they  parted. 

Chorus:  Yankee  Doodle,  doodle  doo,  etc. 

After  this  encounter  and  toward  the  close  of  December,  1778, 
we  find  General  Howe  at  Savannah,  Ga.,  sent  by  General  Wash- 
ington to  command  the  defenses  around  tbat  town,  to  prevent  the 
threatened  attack  of  the  British.  On  arriving  he  immediately 
bestowed  as  much  labor  on  the  fortification  as  he  could  com- 
mand men  and  means  to  give.  But  Governor  Houston,  of 
Georgia,  denied  his  right  to  command  at  that  post,  as  the  gov- 
ernor himself  claimed  to  be  commander  in  chief  and  entitled  to 
precedence  of  rank  on  Georgia  soil.  But  General  Howe  as  com- 
mander of  the  continental  forces  under  Washington  could  not 
concede  this  to  the  State  authorities.  He  deemed  it  his  duty  to 
point  out  to  the  legislature  of  Georgia  and  to  the  governor,  in 
the  strongest  expressions  of  which  he  was  master,  the  want  of 
proper  defenses,  and  asked  for  men  to  throw  up  the  fortifications. 

But  owing  to  this  friction  between  Governor  Houston  and  Gen- 
eral Howe  over  the  precedence  to  command  the  legislature  refused 
to  take  any  action  whatever.  Governor  Houston  still  continued 
5587 


13 

to  dispute  his  right  to  command;  and  when  the  British  force 
sailed  in  the  river  Savannah  was  without  means  of  defense. 
General  Howe,  having  under  him  only  about  900  men,  without 
fortifications,  was  unable  to  prevent  the  landing  of  the  British 
force,  nearly  four  times  as  large,  with  heavy  guns  and  ammuni- 
tion, and  consisting  of  thirty-five  hundred  men.  under  Colonel 
Campbell,  from  New  York,  and  a  like  number,  under  General 
Prevost,  from  St.  Augustine,  among  whom  was  the  regiment  of 
royalists,  chiefly  from  North  Carolina,  under  the  command  of 
Col.  John  Hamilton,  of  Halifax. 

The  North  Carolina  Continentals  here  fought  face  to  face 
against  their  brothers,  the  Loyalists.  A  battle  took  place,  with 
great  loss  of  life,  the  Continental  troops  being  attacked  both  in 
the  flank  and  front  by  so  great  an  excess  in  numbers  that,  notwith- 
standing the  bravery  and  gallantry  with  which  the  Continentals 
fought,  they  were  driven  from  their  position,  and  the  British 
carried  the  day.  The  valor  and  patriotism  of  the  Americans  could 
not  prevail  over  the  immense  number  of  the  British.  General 
Howe  incurred  here  the  resentment  of  Governor  Houston  over 
this  dispute  as  to  whether  the  State  or  Continental  authorities  had 
the  right  to  control  and  direct  the  management  of  the  affairs  of 
war,  but  this  disaster  showed  how  necessary  it  was  to  concede 
this  power  to  the  Continental  Congress,  as  it  was  through  the 
want  of  the  cooperation  of  Governor  Houston,  or,  rather,  his 
opposition,  coupled  with  the  paucity  of  numbers  of  the  Americans, 
that  led  to  the  defeat  at  Savannah.  But  the  whole  conduct  of 
the  battle  showed  in  General  Howe  the  highest  marks  of  general- 
ship. . 

After  this,  at  the  instance  of  Governor  Houston,  a  court-martial, 
presided  over  by  Maj.  Gen.  Baron  Steuben  as  president,  with 
Brigadier-Generals  Knox  and  others,  was  ordered  to  investigate 
the  conduct  of  General  Howe  on  the  charges  of  having  sacrificed 
the  Georgia  troops  and  leaving  the  country  exposed,  but  the  court 
held  him  not  guilty,  and,  in  the  language  of  the  court,  "  We  do 
acquit  him  of  both  charges  with  the  highest  honor. ' '  In  the  early 
part  of  the  year  1779  General  Howe  was  transferred  to  the  North, 
and  on  the  15th  of  July  was  ordered  against  Verplancks  Point,  sub- 
sequently to  Ridgfield.  He  also  cooperated  with  General  Wayne 
in  his  attack  on  Stony  Point  on  the  Hudson. 

About  this  time  the  city  of  New  York  was  evacuated  by  the 
Americans,  and  the  British  under  Sir  Henry  Clinton  took  posses- 
sion. The  American  Army  withdrew  into  the  interior  of  the 
State.  The  position  of  West  Point,  on  the  Hudson,  was  consid- 
ered by  General  Washington  as  the  key  to  the  Army's  position. 
And  so  great  was  Washington's  confidence  in  the  military  ability 
and  courage  of  General  Howe  that  to  him  was  intrusted  the  com- 
mand of  that  department,  and  on  the  15th  of  May,  1780,  he  was 
instructed  by  Washington  to  increase  his  rank  and  file  to  2.500 
men,  if  not  now  that  large,  from  General  Clinton's  New  York 
Militia.  General  Clinton  was  then  governor  of  that  State  and 
commander  in  chief  of  the  militia.  Howe  was  soon  joined  by 
part  of  Clinton's  brigade  and  latterly  by  a  division  of  the  Con- 
necticut troops,  when  he  was  ordered  by  General  Washington  to 
dismiss  the  militia,  having  then  2,500  Continental  troops. 

General  Clinton  doubtless  took  offense  at  the  dismissal  of  bis 
States  militia,  and  immediately  began  with  Benedict  Arnold  and 
others  to  plot  for  the  removal  of  General  Howe.     General  Arnold 

5587 


14 

made  immediate  application  for  the  position,  whether  then  with 
a  treasonable  design  we  can  only  conjecture,  but  he  alleged 
"that  his  wound  would  not  allow  him  to  remain  in  the  field." 
and  that  was  his  ostensible  reason  for  seeking  the  appointment. 
Arnold  secured  the  influence  of  Mr.  Robert  R.  Livingston,  then  a 
member  of  Congress  from  New  York,  to  assist  him.  Mr.  Living- 
ston wrote  to  General  Washington  on  the  22d  day  of  June.  1780, 
and  stated  that  General  Howe  (probably  on  account  of  his  dis- 
missal of  the  New  York  militia),  would  not  inspire  the  confidence 
in  them  essential  for  engaging  their  efficient  service,  and  said  "If 
I  might  presume  so  far,  I  should  beg  leave  to  submit  to  Your  Ex- 
cellency whether  this  post  might  not  be  safely  confided  to  Gen- 
eral Arnold,  who  is  the  favorite  of  the  militia,  and  who  will 
agree  perfectly  with  our  governor. ' ' 

On  the  30th  of  June  General  Arnold  visited  the  camp  at  "West 
Point.  General  Howe  wrote  that  day  to  General  Washington, 
"  I  have  taken  General  Arnold  round  our  works,  and  he  has  my 
opinion  of  them  and  of  many  other  matters.  I  have  long  wished 
to  give  it  to  you.  but  I  could  not  convey  it  by  letter."  General 
Howe  had  always,  to  a  most  extraordinary  degree,  enjoyed  Gen- 
eral Washington's  esteem  and  confidence,  and  upon  the  solicita- 
tion for  the  appointment  of  Arnold  he  refused  to  make  it,  except 
that  General  Howe  might  prefer  to  resume  his  position  in  the  line 
of  the  army.  General  Howe  signifying  his  preference.  General 
Washington  acceded  to  the  importunities  of  Arnold's  friends,  and 
on  the  3d  day  of  August.  1780,  Major-General  Arnold  was  ordered 
to  take  command  of  West  Point  and  its  dependencies.  And 
scarcely  a  month  passed  before  Arnold  was  guilty  of  his  base 
treachery  and  Major  Andre  was  captured.  The  result  is  well 
known.  He  was  tried  by  a  court-martial,  of  which  General  Howe 
was  a  conspicuous  member,  and  was  convicted  and  hung. 

General  Howe  was  then  placed  in  command  of  a  division  on 
the  east  side  of  the  Hudson,  where  he  remained  until  January  10, 
1781.  At  this  time  a  mutiny  broke  out  among  the  Pennsylvania 
troops,  and  by  order  of  General  Washington  he  was  sent  with 
five  battalions  to  quell  the  disturbance.  A  similar  occurrence 
took  place  in  the  New  Jersey  line  on  the  22d,  and  General  Wash- 
ington dispatched  General  Howe  to  Ringwood,  in  that  State,  to 
quell  the  mutiny  there.  Both  of  these  missions  were  performed 
with  great  promptness,  and  a  few  of  the  leaders  having  been  so 
speedily  and  fairly  tried,  condemned,  and  executed  that  a  vote  of 
thanks  was  returned  by  General  Washington,  in  behalf  of  the 
country,  to  General  Howe  and  his  troops,  and  Congress  likewise 
passed  resolutions  thanking  him  for  these  services. 

On  the  21st  of  July.  1781,  while  still  in  New  York,  he  was  or- 
dered to  reconnoiter  the  enemy's  position  at  King's  Bridge,  which 
task  was  performed  entirely  to  the  satisfaction  of  General  Wash- 
ington. The  long  struggle  of  America  for  freedom  was  now 
drawing  to  a  close.  Lord  Cornwallis,  finding  it  impossible  longer 
to  withstand  the  aggressive  movement  of  the  Americans,  sur- 
rendered his  sword  to  Washington  on  the  19th  of  October,  1781, 
at  Yorktown.  And  on  the  18th  of  the  following  month  Major 
Craig  and  his  forces  left  the  Cape  Fear,  and  with  him  disappeared 
the  last  vestige  of  British  dominion  in  North  Carolina.  Gen- 
eral Howe  still  remained  in  the  service  of  the  Government.  The 
Continental  Congress  was  in  session  in  Philadelphia  in  June,  1783. 
Owing  to  the  failure  of  Congress  to  levy  revenue,  which  was  due 
5587 


15 

to  the  want  of  power,  a  defect  in  the  Articles  of  Confederation, 
the  Congress,  while  .a  session,  was  attacked  by  a  clamorous  mob 
and  compelled  to  disperse. 

For  their  protection,  General  Howe  was  sent  with  five  battalions 
to  suppress  the  mob.  This  was  successfully  accomplished,  and 
was  the  last  act  performed  by  him  of  importance  while  in  the 
Army.  Soon  afterwards  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  service, 
holding  then  the  rank  of  major-general  of  the  Continental  Arm  v. 
On  September  23,  1783,  Congress  passed  a  resolution  of  thanks  i 
General  Howe  and  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  his  command. 
Before  retiring  from  the  Army  he  took  an  active  interest  in  form- 
ing the  Order  of  the  Cincinnati,  and  was  one  of  the  general  officers 
designated  at  the  Cantonment  of  the  American  Army  June  19, 
1783,  to  establish  that  society,  and  he  was  the  first  officer  of  the 
North  Carolina  Chapter  which  he  afterwards  formed. 

He  had  given  six  years'  continued  service  to  his  country,  and 
during  all  that  time  he  never  asked  or  accepted  one  moment's  re- 
cess. To  use  his  own  language:  *'  For  this  service  I  have  sacri- 
ficed all  other  considerations,  however  interesting,  endearing,  or 
heartfelt  they  might  have  been."  In  the  spring  of  1785  he  re- 
turned to  his  home  on  the  Cape  Fear,  ripe  with  honors  and  the 
gratitude  of  his  country.  At  Fayetteville  he  was  received  with 
public  ovation,  and  the  popular  homage  extended  him  was  un- 
paralleled in  that  day,  except  in  the  single  instance  of  that  given 
to  George  Washington.  He  immediately  applied  himself  to  his 
former  occupation  of  tilling  the  soil,  but  was  not  long  allowed  to 
remain  quiet  at  his  home.  During  the  summer  of  the  year  1785 
he  was  elected  by  his  people  to  represent  them  in  the  legislature, 
where  he  took  his  seat  at  Newbern  on  the  19th  of  November. 

On  the  17th  of  March.  1786,  he  was  sent  to  select  a  site  for  a  light- 
house on  the  Cape  Fear  River,  and,  with  Mr.  Benjamin  Smith  and 
the  commissioners  of  pilotage,  fixed  the  location  at  Baldhead. 
Again  during  this  year  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  legislature 
from  Brunswick.  At  this  time  in  North  Carolina  the  judiciary 
was  in  great  disrepute.  At  Wilmington  a  court  was  being  held  by 
Judges  Spencer,  Ashe,  and  Williams.  In  the  words  of  Mr.  Archi- 
bald McLean ,  a  brilliant  lawyer  of  that  day  ' '  the  most  shameful 
partiality  disgraced  the  bench."  The  question  of  the  extent  of 
pardon  which  should  be  granted  to  the  Loyalists,  who  had  lately 
been  in  arms  against  the  Continentals,  or  adhering  to  the  British, 
giving  them  aid  and  comfort,  was  greatly  agitated  among  the 
people,  especially  in  reference  to  the  confiscation  acts.  General 
Howe,  being  a  man  of  broad  and  liberal  culture,  favored  magna- 
nimity and  advocated  the  restoration  of  the  Loyalists  to  their 
property  rights  and  granting  general  amnesty.  He  warred  against 
proscription,  which  filled  the  air.  He  met  with  violent  opposition 
at  the  polls  from  the  narrow-minded  and  illiberal. 

In  a  letter  written  by  Archibald  McLean  to  James-  Iredell  on 
the  3d  August,  1786,  he  says: 

General  Howe  will,  I  believe,  be  returned  from  Brunswick,  though  op- 
posed with  great  assiduity.  He  openly  avows  the  most  liberal  principles 
and  execrates  the  judges  and  other  officers. 

Notwithstanding  the  opposition  he  was  triumphantly  elected, 
thus  establishing  the  fact  that  the  conservative  spirit  existed  and 
was  in  the  ascendency  among  the  people  of  North  Carolina  even 
in  that  day,  and  for  which  they  have  ever  been  and  are  still  justly 
renowned. 

5587 


16 

The  legislature  was  to  convene  at  Fayetteville  on  the  18th  No- 
vember, 1786.  General  Howe  set  out  for  the  capital,  and  on  his 
way  was  taken  sick.  He  stopped  at  the  residence  of  Gen.  Thomas 
Clark,  his  old  friend  and  comrade  in  arms,  on  the  Cape  Fear 
River.  He  became  ill,  and  there  continued  in  declining  health 
until  he  died.  On  the  14th  December.  1786,  Judge  Alfred  Moore, 
one  of  the  associate  justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States,  wrote  to  James  Iredell  that  '•  General  Howe  is  at  the  very 
verge  of  the  grave:  it  is  supposed  that  he  will  die  in  a  few  days; 
he  has  only  got  as  far  as  General  Clark's.'*  A  few  days  after- 
wards he  expired,  at  the  age  of  56  years,  and  was  buried  on  Grange 
Farm,  now  a  portion  of  Columbus  County,  N.  C. 

Not  even  a  stone  marks  his  last  resting  place,  and  nothing  but 
a  small  hillock  exists  to  show  that  even  a  grave  was  ever  there. 
What  a  commentary  upon  the  gratitude  of  his  countrymen! 

Thus  ended  the  career  of  one  who  did  more  to  bring  about  the 
crisis  which  caused  the  Revolution  than  any  one  man  in  North 
Carolina. 

He  was  possessed  of  versatile  talents.  'He  was  the  life  of  social 
gatherings.  On  these  occasions  it  is  said  of  him  that  his  imagi- 
nation fascinated,  his  repartee  overpowered,  and  his  conversation 
was  enlivened  by  strains  of  exquisite  raillery. 

He  was  of  noble  impulses  and  liberal  views.  He  was  an  eloquent 
speaker  and  logical  debater.  He  was  a  power  in  politics  and  was 
great  as  a  soldier,  and  having  attained  the  highest  rank  in  the 
American  army,  he  is  easily  distinguished  as  the  greatest  man 
North  Carolina  furnished  to  the  American  Revolution,  and  one  of 
the  most  aggressive  leaders  for  liberty  and  independence  in  all 
the  colonies,  in  the  preservation  of  whose  fame  every  American 
citizen  should  take  a  just  pride,  and  the  American  Congress  should 
cheerfully  erect  a  monument  to  make  the  name  of  Robert  Howe 
immortal,  that  his  example  may  be  emulated  by  all  future  genera- 
tions. 

5587 

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